The Netherlands, 1989
tomasheller.com
Thesis: kook¦kunst
The Meal, no.1 (ongoing body of work)
A first setup in an ongoing series of sculptures, in this edition made from ceramics and steel. The sculptures stand on their own, but also have functional properties. They are used for cooking or to be eaten from. The viewer is invited to taste the food served in the installation. Tomas Heller questiones the distinction between a sculpture and a functional object. Can they co-exist within one sculpture?
He explaines:
My inspiration comes both of nature and from culture; nature in the sense that I think nature is the most raw and beautiful phenomenon existing…
I am also interested in how natural processes work, like the decay of stone, mountains… how time and climate change the state of material… So the notion of time is actually an important aspect of this.
Culture is related to cooking for me, I am very much inspired by different cuisines, which can be from all over the world. It is inspiring to discover so many different traditions, ways of dealing with the food, preserving methods …
In my graduation work I try to find to find my own ways of cooking on the spot by using materials – actually sculptures – that I made myself. These sculptures stand on their own, but besides that are used for cooking or to be eaten from directly. A very basic way of outside-cooking, which I feel strongly connected to.
